Usually, an article about being Italian is typical, and we tend to find ourself relating to some of the qualities mentioned. For me, it’s more about the food (and alcohol despite how I don’t drink), traditions, and the family. There’s something authentic about being Italian: love, laughter, endless amounts of memories, and of course being loud and proud of it. While everyone will generally look at Italians as being the kind of people all about the food, there needs to be a realization that Italians are so much more than that.
Despite how typical this list may be compared to others, here are 30 signs that you may be Italian.
1. You have family members with the same name.
Wait, what? Which one is which?
2. You have a big, crazy Italian family who you always love to see every chance you get
I love you guys!
3. You’ve learned how to make homemade spaghetti from your Italian grandmother
Love you Gram, and thank you!
4. You have pasta every week/every other week, and never get sick of it
Spaghetti, penne, shells, rigatoni -- may I continue?
5. You always need to have bread when having dinner with the family.
We're talking about Italian/French bread, not typical sandwich breads.
6. You use your hands often and cannot keep them still while speaking.
Not sign language, we just can't keep our hands still.
7. You have to stock up on Tupperware or plastic containers because there is always too much leftover food after cooking so much.
No Italian can cook a small amount of food, better to be safe than sorry!
8. Pastina: the cure for everything.
Sick? Tired? Stressed? Pastina is the answer for everything.
9. You like pizza, but you love pizza when it is homemade.
Homemade pizza is so much your typical pizza on a weekly or biweekly basis.
10. You have a tendency to speak loud since you were a kid, and you spend time with family speaking at a louder volume.
Seriously, we're Italian and speak at higher decibels.
11. You tend to have a large appetite and always go back for more food.
Always and forever.
12.You have the tendency to crave for calamari whenever you go out.
It's a treat for us whenever we have calamari!
13. You say goodbye and think they’ll be gone in the next few minutes, but they are still there for another 20 minutes.
All the time!
14. You may think that you are not hungry, but then you eat all the food you believe you can eat.
This can happen quite often!
15. Forget the proper portion sizes -- you always have excessive amounts of food on your plate.
Nobody pays attention to how much they eat.
16. You have the urgency to eat sooner than later, even if dinner is not yet prepared.
My issue when I eat too much appetizers before dinner..
17. Parties with the family are always a blast.
Antipasto, excessive amounts of food, and alcohol, oh my!
18. Restaurants that advertise Italian food, like Olive Garden, are a big no.
It's not authentic Italian...
19. You might be full, but there’s always bread and salad after dinner.
More food!
20. There is a strong love for garlic.
It may be too strong for most people, but not for Italians.
21. You love to eat the antipasto everywhere you go and they are served.
How can you not resist this beautiful arrangement of meats, cheeses, and olives?
22. You say you’re only going to buy a few things, but then you get more than you intended.
Not just for food, but for everything.
23. You have a garden at the backyard, and you plan to plant fresh tomatoes and herbs when it is warm enough to do so.
Fresh tomatoes and herbs are everything.
24. You have a love for alcohol in your food.
Alcohol gives more flavor to the food.
25. You have a love for cannoli or desserts with cream, and chocolate, and cookies.
Too much food to consume in one night
26. You have endless amounts of plastic containers, and some of them are filled with random items.
"Is there ricotta cheese in a container? That's not ricotta cheese!"27. You have a love for cooking since you were a child.
Now, I'm learning to cook every day, and loving it!
28. You always have a thought to bring something over to someone’s house whenever there’s a party or large dinner.
Usually wine or a fancy plate, as a thank you gift.29. When dinner starts hours earlier than what you are used to.
"We're having dinner now when it's not even 4 p.m.?"